Researcher Development Framework

It was a bliss to see a PhD student of mine took the initiative to learn AMOS for running SEM. This reminds me of the good old day when I was pursuing a PhD in Warwick Institute of Education. 

Back then, the Postgraduate Studies Institute conducted weekly courses or training programmes for all doctoral researchers. The institute was the training hub for Vitae (https://www.vitae.ac.uk/), where students from all universities located in the Midlands of England would come and join those courses. I considered myself as very lucky as I did not need to travel afar to take these courses, I rode on my red bicycle instead. 

In the initial meetings with my supervisors, Sue and Sean walked through the Researcher Development Framework with me, guiding me to plan for my research training programme. A balanced and established academic researcher should have sufficient knowledge and research skills in every quadrant. Ideally, a PhD student should plan and arrange suitable training for himself or herself through the course of 3 years study. Herewith the framework 

https://www.vitae.ac.uk/vitae-publications/rdf-related/researcher-development-framework-rdf-vitae.pdf/view 

I attended almost all short and long term courses offered by Vitae in 2008 - 2010, and was chosen as one of the best doctoral student in the Midlands, England. Back then my intention was to learn as many as I can, so that I can teach postgraduate courses in UPSI upon the completion of my PhD. Ironically, until now, I have no experience of teaching any postgraduate course in UPSI.

I used to have several postgraduate students concurrently, while quite a lot of my colleagues do not have any student.  After becoming a supervisor, I organised courses for my postgraduate students in 2013 - 2015 on every Friday and Saturday, and the courses were occasionally attended by other supervisors' students. But after awhile, even my own students did not attend those courses. Worse, my colleagues complained to me that I had negatively influenced their students--their students wanted to change supervisors. So, I learned my lesson and stopped offering those courses. I also discovered that, my courses were threatening existing trainers who charged students for similar courses. From that point onward, my supervision strategy changed to one-on-one basis. Only when my student wants and needs to learn specific knowledge or skills in research, I will guide him or her. If the student stops, I stop as well.

These are my personal experience and opinion, and they cannot be referred as a standard practice in UPSI or any other institutions. I just do what I believe is good for the student.

 

KURSUS METODOLOGI PASCASISWAZAH FSSK, UMS

Wednesday, April 7⋅3:00 – 4:00pm

Location: https://join.skype.com/WKUDlbNyqS0I

How to design and develop a course

Herewith the steps I planned for designing and developing a new course from scratch:

Step 1: determine the name of the new course based on the needs of discipline core, PEOs and PLOs.

Step 2: brainstorm to generate 5 types of knowledge for the course

Step 3: based on the knowledge types, propose 3 to 4 CLOs.

Step 4: For each CLO, conduct hierarchical analysis to identify all ELOs and TLOs required for mastering knowledge and skills.

Step 5: Select and trim the hierarchies of all CLOs to form the course content outline and subtopics

Step 6: Set appropriate continuous and final assessments

Step 7: Include special requirements or resources to deliver the course

Step 8: Include latest references

Step 9: Compose the Synopsis of the course

Step 10: Name an academic staff for the course 

Moodmarketing 情绪营销

通过激发受众的愤怒、同情、悲伤、恐惧、丧等情绪。

内事问百度，外事问谷歌

床事问天涯，绿事问虎扑

Verifying Correction of Thesis / Dissertation

Step 1: Make sure the candidate used the correct format of "Laporan Pembetulan Tesis"

Step 2: Make sure the candidate copy all comments from all examiners plus notes taken by the supervisor 

Step 3: Verify the organization of comments, chapter by chapter

Step 4: Make sure every comment and note is addressed in the Laporan together with exact page number. 

Step 5: Cross-check every item stated in the Laporan with the actual page, paragraph and sentences in the thesis

Step 6: Add comment for requesting further correction

Step 7: Edit typo and grammatical errors 

Step 8: Chop and sign for verification

Interns should learn to grow up by themselves (translated from my article wrote for Sinchew Daily)

Since Malaysia implemented different stages of Movement Control Order in March this year, I have been receiving internship applications from many local universities at Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) and asked me to be their industrial supervisor. The applicants are all diploma and bachelor degree students, studying computing or creative multimedia programmes. In the past, the preferred location for such students was Klang Valley, and very few students were willing to go to a relatively town of Tanjong Malim for an internship. Perhaps, under the new normal, a sparsely populated environment can make people feel that they will have a lower chance of catching the Covid-19 virus and feel at ease. Of course, it is more likely that industrial training and internship opportunities have been affected and become scarce in today’s sluggish labor market.

Universities in Malaysia that offer diploma and bachelor degree programmes in computing or creative multimedia  must follow the standards of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) to prepare all students to complete a 2 to 6 months industrial training or internship in order to gain preliminary work experience in the industry and to improve the soft skills needed for future employment. For interns, in addition to having the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and skills learned in the university, the monthly allowance provided by the employer during the internship is their main concern. Taking UPSI students as an example, the amount is solely determined by the employer, and the university will not intervene or interfere with the decision.

To encourage employers in the private sector to offer training for interns, the Ministry of Human Resource Malaysia has arranged an Industrial Training Scheme (ITS) for all tax-paying employers to apply. Under the new normal, a part from getting a set of personal protective equipment (PPE), each hired intern can also afford his or her employer to receive a monthly allowance of maximum RM500.

All these while, students who are undergoing internship at UPSI, regardless of which university they come from, will not receive any allowance from the university and all its subsidiaries. However, lecturers who play the role of industry supervisors can subsidize the interns out of their own pockets, or they can use their own research and development project funds to pay students on a pay-for-work basis to help students coping with basic living expenses during the internship.

Of course, there are still many students who receive no allowance at all. In addition, from time to time, there were employers who broke their promises, and did not pay allowance after the start of the internship, resulting in students being unable to pay the rent for short-term accommodation and being displaced. Students may also face the dilemma of company closing down during the internship or being fired by the company before completing the internship. Whenever an intern complains such matters to me, I will tell them that this is the real life they have to face after graduation! When they were still students, there were lecturers who helped them solving their problems, and once they graduated, they have to reply on themselves. People should learn to grow up by themselves.

In general, students either go to the industry for an internship after completing all courses, or they undergo the internship first, and then return to the university to complete the final year project (FYP) in the final semester. Both arrangements have their pros and cons. The former is the most preferred in the eyes of the industry because the internship program allows relevant employers to select suitable graduates directly as employees of the company. If students have to return to the university to complete their studies after completing the internship, it is difficulty to reserve half a year for the vacancy of the company. Even if the vacancy was really reserved for the interns, they may change their employment options after graduation. For the lecturers who are in charge of FYP, students who have accumulated internship experience will be more pragmatic and mature when doing the FYP, and the quality of project outcomes will be better—this is of great help to students when they are searching for job after graduation. Regardless of the arrangement, interns should accumulate practical experience in the industry as much as possible, paving the way for a career that is full of challenges and opportunities, so that they can walk out of their own growing path under the new normal.       

Source in Chinese: https://www.sinchew.com.my/content/content_2336747.html 

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